


The Fire of the Sea

by ladymidnight721



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: AU, Historical, Multi, OC centric, Pirates, episodic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-11
Updated: 2020-01-31
Packaged: 2020-06-26 16:33:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,044
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19772131
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ladymidnight721/pseuds/ladymidnight721
Summary: The life, times, and adventures of Siobhan Baker, also known as the Fire of the Sea, the Sorceress of the Atlantic, and the Pirate witch. Join her and her motley crew of magic and non-magic folk alike as they travel around the Atlantic Ocean in the Golden Age of Pirates. Each chapter is non-sequential, and there is no (explicit) over-arching plot. Treat each chapter as its own little episode!





	1. The Fire of the Sea and the Troubling Merchant

The dawn was soft and milky pink, not the bright fiery red that meant disaster in the day to come.

_Red sky in the morning, sailors take warning._

Siobhan stood on the deck of her ship, watching the sun rise slowly over the endless waters. Her life had been a hard one, but it was moments like these that really made her stop and appreciate all that she had seen.

“Er, Capt’n?”

Siobhan turned to find her first mate, James, walking towards her.

“The merchant ship from Hispaniola has departed on schedule, but the cargo is lighter than expected,” he said in a brisk tone. “Some silver, but mostly food products like corn and the like.”

Siobhan nodded. “It’s fine. We’ll need the food anyway.” She had expected that from this particular merchant. He had a propensity for magically enchanting his cargo to make it look bigger, or failing that, use leprechaun gold to fill it out. Not to mention he was one of the worst arseholes she’d ever had the displeasure of meeting.

“So, the attack will go on as scheduled, then?” James asked.

She nodded. “Full speed ahead.”

~*~*~*~*

A few hours later, Siobhan was positioned at the edge of one of the planks, at the head of a group of some of her magical crew. They would be the first to attack, with her squibs taking up the rear and finishing them off. It was likely that the merchant had non-magical crew as well, and they needed to be taken care of.

The merchant’s ship showed in the distance. Slowly, it grew closer and closer to the fast, nimble ship that Siobhan had stolen years ago. The old _Sun Warrior_ , how faithful she was. The other ship, however, was infuriatingly slow, like most merchant ships. Her crewmates beside her shifted; they were restless.

Siobhan stayed perfectly still. No matter how upbeat and lackadaisical she was most of the time, she was dead serious now. Her heartbeat was going a million miles an hour, adrenaline rushing through her veins as she anticipated the thrill of a fight.

The merchant ship was in firing range. Siobhan held up her hand in the familiar signal; three fingers together.

_Ready._

It was so close, Siobhan could see the ugly, pockmarked face of the merchant clear as day from her perch. A few more meters and they could enchant the ship and climb aboard.

The crew was no longer fidgeting. They stared up at Siobhan, silent, almost breathless, as they waited for a signal.

_Almost… A little closer…_

The ship was almost at an arm’s distance when Siobhan closed her hand into a fist.

On her cue, a dozen spells shot from her crew to immobilize the ship. It stopped dead in the water, lurching some of its crew to the deck. Siobhan’s crew lowered the planks onto the rails of the merchant ship and swarmed aboard.

Most of the crew reached for their pistol and swords. They wouldn’t work, of course, Siobhan had placed magical protection over her crew long ago. The merchant had disappeared, he probably knew he was being attacked by a magical ship at this point.

Thankfully, not many of the crew appeared to be magic. They were all fighting with flintlocks and swords, with no wand in sight. Siobhan kept her eye out though, who knows if an enemy would sneak a spell when his comrades weren’t looking?

Siobhan disarmed sailor after sailor as she and James got closer to the cargo hold. Everything was going exactly as planned. She burst below deck in search of the scheming merchant and his pathetic cargo. Shifting her sword to her left hand and taking out her wand, Siobhan readied herself for a fight with the merchant. Strangely, he was nowhere to be found, either hiding still, or waiting to strike down Siobhan and James when they were most vulnerable.

“ _Protego_ ,” Siobhan whispered as she and James came closer to the cargo hold. Better safe than sorry.

James kicked the door to the cargo hold open. You had to admit, sometimes magic just wasn’t as good as the old-fashioned way. The reports had been right, mostly food with little to no silver or gold in sight.

Siobhan turned to James. “Grab the silver, I’ll take care of the food.”

Waving her wand, Siobhan used a simple, yet effective spell to shrink and lighten the food that was to be taken. Not too much -- she might be a pirate, but Siobhan would never let sailors needlessly starve -- but enough to boost her stores. Collecting her food into her enchanted drawstring purse, she motioned James over, his pockets likely full of silver. It was done.

They didn’t meet the merchant as they made their way back to the dock, the coward truly was hiding. Siobhan reached the planks through the fighting – it was already winding down – and whistled three times, brief and sharp. The signal to leave. On cue, her sailors turned and rushed back across the planks, leaving the merchant crew shocked and wounded.

Once they were all back aboard the _Sun_ and the Disillusionment Charm cast on it, Siobhan lifted the curse on the merchant’s ship with a simple flick from her wand.

They were gone like ghosts in the night.

~*~*~*~*

That evening, the crew were having a small party of sorts in the mess hall, celebrating their recent success. This particular merchant had been a thorn in their collective side ever since he had found out about Siobhan and her ship of misfits, so they were always more than happy to make him miserable.

The beer and rum were flowing like water, several of the crew were sending off sparks from their wands in a makeshift light show, and everyone was talking and joking amoungst themselves. Siobhan, watching them all, couldn’t be happier. She was there in the thick of it, playing jokes on the crew and sending up purple and blue sparks to amuse her friends and partners-in-arms. This was her element, the place where she felt she could really, truly be herself.

After several hours, Siobhan had to reluctantly break up the party. There were things to do in the morrow, and she couldn’t have any of her men tired, putting themselves and others in danger. Soon, only Siobhan and James were left in the mess hall.

“Y’know, I never know how you do it,” James said, his voice full of admiration.

“Do what?” Siobhan asked, both a little flattered and confused.

“How you do… all of it,” James replied. “You’re a first-rate captain, an amazing sailor, the strongest witch in the whole Atlantic, and you really, truly care about all of us.”

“Aww, James, you’re making me blush,” Siobhan said, teasing him slightly. But, she was touched. There were times when she, too, didn’t know how she was able to do all that she could.

“Thank you, James,” Siobhan said, softer this time, and truly honest. James smiled at her, before wishing her good-night.

Back in her office/quarters, Siobhan couldn’t help but smile as she readied herself for bed. She thrived on her crew, and her friends, and loved them all with a fierce passion that all the seven seas could not douse. Reflecting on this, she sank down into the tiny cot in the corner of her office, and fell asleep.


	2. The Fire of the Sea and the Fierce Typhoon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The life, times, and adventures of Siobhan Baker, also known as the Fire of the Sea, the Sorceress of the Atlantic, and the Pirate witch. Join her and her motley crew of magic and non-magic folk alike as they travel around the Atlantic Ocean in the Golden Age of Pirates. Each chapter is non-sequential, and there is no (explicit) over-arching plot. Treat each chapter as its own little episode!
> 
> This chapter, the crew survives one of the worst storms to weather as a sailor: the terrifying typhoon (hurricane, or cyclone).

Storms were nothing Siobhan wasn’t used to. Many a time had she and her crew bear down against the might of an Atlantic storm. The ship would never get damaged, thanks to the protective enchantments on it, but that didn’t mean the crew wasn’t in danger.

However, when Siobhan woke up to a wall of dark storm clouds on the horizon, she knew they were in for a bad time.

She quickly ran back down below deck to find James, finding him in the mess hall with a few other men. She discretly motioned to him to follow her, and turned around to go back on deck.

The creak of boots behind her let her know that James was next to her, and she turned to face him.

“James,” she began, her voice dead serious. “You’ve been through more storms than I have. Is that what I think it is?”

James looked towards the storm in the distance, his brow furrowed.

“Aye capt’n. That’s a typhoon.”

Siobhan grimaced, feeling her body tense up. She herself had never been through a typhoon, but she had heard horror stories from those who had.

“Gather the crew. Wake them if you have to. Tell them this is an emergency,” she told James briskly.

James nodded and head back below deck. Within minutes, the entire crew was up, looking at her with a mixture of shock and worry.

Siobhan sighed. She hated being serious, but a storm was no laughing matter. “Men, we are on the brink of a typhoon.”

She heard muffled whispers and saw some of them look at the horizon, fear on their face.

“The ship will be safe, but all of us might be in danger, and the enchantments on the ship might weaken,” she stated matter-of-factly. “We need to divvy up who will be on deck to guide us through the storm, and who will be below deck to keep an eye on the ship and enchantments.”

A hand raised through the crowd. “Red?” she asked.

“’Scuse me, capt’n, but how long will this storm here last?” he asked, concern vividly etched in his face.

Siobhan turned to James, who answered the question. “It should only last a few hours if we keep control of the ship. These storms move faster than others.”

Most of the crew nodded, but they all looked anxious. And for good reason, Siobhan could feel her own heart racing as she thought of what was ahead.

“Three-quarters of you are to remain below deck, included most wizards,” she declared, her mind made up. “I’ll be up here to supervise the spells on the sails, and you are to be in charge of the rest of the spells on the boat, particularly on the hold. Understand?”

Several of them nodded in agreement, but most still looked too scared to do much.

“Scully will be in charge of the group below deck. Scully?” she asked, looking to a man with curly brown hair.

“Aye aye, capt’n,” he said.

“Good. James, pick out those you want on deck, and send the rest below. I’ll start checking the enchantments on the ship.”

This time, the whole crew nodded, and turned their eyes to James as he started to bark out orders.

Siobhan turned away, muttering strange and complex spells under her breath, strengthening the already powerful enchantments against damage on the _Sun Warrior_ , but she couldn’t be sure. Typhoons are terrifying and deadly storms, and for the first time in a long time, she was second-guessing herself. She wouldn’t be surprised if one of her crew got injured, or even died, but she didn’t wish it.

There was a logic behind her decision to keep most of the crew below deck. It was both a cautionary measure, and a security one. The wizards were most likely to keep an eye on things below deck, and everyone down there would be safer, although a little banged up.

The squibs on her crew were some of the best sailors in her crew, so she needed them on deck to guide the ship through the storm, with James to lead them.

She would go back and forth between the two groups, to keep an eye on the sail enchantments, and to offer help to the wizards below if they needed help with a particularly strong spell. Hopefully, both the crew and the ship could get through this unharmed.

The wall of clouds grew closer and closer at an alarming rate, confirming what James said about typhoons being fast moving storms. Meanwhile, Siobhan and the crew worked tirelessly to prepare the ship for a big storm. Pulling up the sails, battening the hatches, moving whatever was loose below deck to reduce damage. After a while, James suggested to Siobhan to cast protective barriers around the ship.

“Typhoons don’t just have wind, capt’n,” he told her. “They carry debris, large debris, from where it’s been. I wouldn’t be surprised to see a mast or even a tree during this storm”

So just before the storm was on them, Siobhan and Scully went around the ship, muttering protective enchantments that they usually used for a raid or battle. Hopefully they would work.

The rain hadn’t even started yet, but the wind was howling, deafening Siobhan. She barked at the crew to go below deck, seeing as the storm was upon them.

The rain hit them like a wall.

Siobhan was almost knocked off her feet. She could see the small crew above deck struggling to stay upright, some of them had even been knocked off their feet. They could barely see, and the wind was blowing so hard that it was hard to hear. Siobhan quickly casted a spell to deafen the wind, but it did little help. Thankfully, the ship was still on its current course. The only thing they could do was keep the ship going straight through the typhoon’s circular winds.

“Capt’n!” she heard James shout. She turned, and slowly, painfully, made to way to him.

“There should be a break in the middle,” he shouted. “I’ve heard sailors call it the ‘eye’. A good time to check everything over before it begins again.”

Siobhan nodded, afraid to talk over the wind. It was a slight relief, but she knew the fight would pick up again afterword, and they wouldn’t be truly out of the woods until the storm was past.

And the fight was intense. Siobhan kept her word, running back and forth from above to below deck, helping both groups as much as she could. She had been right, the spells began to weaken as the storm blew on, even a few leaks sprung. The wizards thankfully took care of it, but it still gave Siobhan a minor heart attack.

The crew above deck were fantastic. Even old William at the wheel stood tall and proud through the storm.

After about an hour (though it felt like an entire day), the eye came in sight as a strip of sunlight through the rain. James was right; it did give a short relief. But the storm was still fast moving, and they barely got a half hour.

Before and after the eye was the fiercest part of the storm. Just after they entered the storm again, Siobhan heard a voice call out. She barely had time to turn around before she saw a large log headed straight for the ship.

She whipped out her wand and called out, “ _Arresto Momentum_!!”

The log, which she recognized as the mast of a ship, stopped dead in its tracks, just over the rail of the ship. She guided it around the ship, and released it into the sea.

But she didn’t have time to relax after her near-death experience. There was still time before the storm was over. She vaguely heard James barking orders as she rushed back below deck.

~*~*~*~*

The typhoon left as soon as it came, leaving the _Sun Warrior_ shaken, but not broken.

The rest of the crew came up slowly, looking around cautiously, as though the storm wasn’t really over.

Siobhan was still in panic mode, feverishly checking the ship and the enchantments, almost not believing that the storm was over. James ran over to her and grabbed her arms.

“Siobhan. It’s okay. The storm has passed,” he said quietly, so only she could hear. He only ever called her by her name when she needed to be comforted.

She stared at him, slowly taking breaths to calm herself. Around them, the crew gathered close together, looking at them as their leaders. Siobhan in turn looked them all over, pleased to see that no one was injured.

“We… we did it,” she said quietly. “We’re all okay.”

Then, to her horror, she began to weep. At once she felt comforting hands on her, caressing her shoulders, patting her back, grasping her arms tight.

“You did amazing capt’n”

“I can’t believe it myself.”

“If it weren’ for you and James, we wouldn’ be alive right now, capt’n”

The crew stood around her, comforting her as she had her breakdown. She was embarrassed that they were seeing her like this, but intensely grateful that they were here for her as she would be for them.

She sniffed and looked up at them all, smiling slightly.

“Yes, we all did it,” she said, her voice becoming stronger. “Let’s go to the mess and open up some rum. Lord knows we all need it…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> These chapters are episodic, meaning that you don't have to read them in any particular order to get the full story, have fun!
> 
> I'm currently going through a hurricane myself, and I decided to curb my anxiety by writing my characters going through the same thing lol. 
> 
> I shouldn't be in too much danger where I am, but please pray for areas poorer and below sea level, as they will be hard hit.


	3. The Fire of the Sea and an Old Friend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The life, times, and adventures of Siobhan Baker, also known as the Fire of the Sea, the Sorceress of the Atlantic, and the Pirate witch. Join her and her motley crew of magic and non-magic folk alike as they travel around the Atlantic Ocean in the Golden Age of Pirates. Each chapter is non-sequential, and there is no (explicit) over-arching plot. Treat each chapter as its own little episode!
> 
> This chapter, Siobhan and her first mate James are going into a pirate village for some routine errands, but run afoul of an old haunt from Siobhan's school days.

Siobhan stood in front of James, waving her wand and muttering. After a while she stopped, admiring her work.

“How do I look, Capt’n?” he asked, looking up at her with unfamiliar, green eyes.

She smiled. “No one will ever recognize you, James. Not even your own mam.”

Okay, that might be a bit of an exaggeration, but Siobhan had always been unusually talented when it came to Transfiguration. And with all the work she did, and the enemies she had made, she needed to disguise herself as much as possible.

Siobhan turned away from James to face a large, full length mirror. Possibly the most expensive thing on this ship, and definitely in her study, but all too necessary for the work she had to do.

Waving her wand across her own features as she had with James, her features began to change. Her freckles disappeared, her wavy red hair turned straight and golden, her blue eyes brown. Looking at herself more closely, she decided more needed to be done. Waving her wand some more, she gave herself a thicker jaw and straighter nose, and for the finishing touch, a magnificent blonde beard.

Turning around to James, she held her arms out. “What do you think?” she asked, her feminine voice out of place with her new disguise.

James grunted. “Not exactly my type, but no one will recognize you.”

Siobhan laughed as she reached for her coat. Her disguise coat, the one that broadened her shoulders and hid her bust. Clearing her throat and vocalizing in a lower voice, and her disguise was complete.

“So who are we this time, Capt’n?” James asked Siobhan as they headed up to the deck.

“You will be Jonathan Berkley,” Siobhan said in her deepened voice, “And I shall be Arthur MacDougall. We are only errand-boys for our Captain.”

“And who is our Capt’n?” James replied. This was all routine for them.

“A man we only know as Jones. Anyone presses, get scared and stammer that you don’t know, just keep repeating that,” Siobhan said, making her way to the rowboat at the side of the ship. Each time they did this, Siobhan made up new names, new faces, and new captains for both her and James. It was safer than anyone knowing who they really were.

James and Siobhan slowly rowed their way to the rambling village in front of them. Though it was small and ramshackle, the harbor around it swarmed with sailing vessels in various states of repair.

A large community of Muggle pirates and privateers, all working together to keep themselves alive and connected. Because it was easier to be allied than to be enemies, right?

Well, not for Siobhan. She didn’t have anything against Muggles, in fact many of her crew were non-magic, but the idea of the island in general. Answering to men, who were infinitely weaker than she was, even on a bad day? No thank you.

Not to mention, the whole “Statute of Secrecy” and “Burning at the Stake” stuff didn’t help.

Every time the Sun Warrior had to dock at the so-called Pirate Island, for whatever reason, Siobhan used her Transfiguration to disguise herself and James so they would never get discovered. Her crew was already fairly infamous, both in the Wizarding and Muggle worlds, so revealing themselves could get… ugly.

James tied up their rowboat to the dock, the only thing in the village that didn’t look like it was falling apart. Without talking, James and Siobhan began walking through the village, going to the apothecary that they knew was in the far side of town. Selling the idea that they were just scared errand-boys, James and Siobhan looked around nervously, sometimes even hesitating before turning down a street. They knew each other so well, that they didn’t necessarily have to talk to each other to communicate.

They finally came to the apothecary, a tiny shack off the main road. Siobhan looked around the building for a hard minute before going in. It wasn’t unusual to get to a shop only to find that the owner had moved, or been evicted, or captured. But the apothecary’s sign was still hanging by the door, so Siobhan assumed it was safe to go in. She signaled to James, and they entered the shop.

Inside was dark and dingy. Wilted plants and dusty bottles lined the shelfs behind the counter, but there was no clerk in sight. James and Siobhan looked at each other, before James called out.

“H-hello?” he stuttered, still assuming the scared sailor act. Siobhan had to admit, he was a better actor than her by a long shot. She was holding back the urge to bellow to make themselves known.

After a few minutes, she almost wished she had shouted. No one had come out, and they hadn’t heard any movement from the back. Siobhan and James exchanged looks, confusion etched on James face. Perhaps the apothecary was just out of shop?

Now it was Siobhan’s turn to call. “Hello? Is anyone here?” she said in her man’s voice, loud but not shouting. Yelling would only make her suspicious.

Still, no one answered her call. James shifting closer to Siobhan and began to whisper in her ear.

“What do we do?” he said, his voice barely more than a breath. “No one seems to be here.”

Siobhan paused. It would be dangerous to snoop around, but she almost had no choice. The ingredients she needed from this shop were crucial to several life-saving potions she always kept on deck.

“Let’s go behind the counter,” she replied, her voice equally as soft. “If there really is no one in this store, we may be able to loot the place and leave.”

James nodded, and deftly leaped over the counter. Siobhan followed him, darting her eyes around, on the defensive. The salves and herbs behind the counter looked old and useless, and none of them were the supplies that they really needed. Taking a deep breath, Siobhan went to the door leading to the back of the shop.

As suspected, the door was locked. Casting a nervous glance around her, Siobhan quickly and quietly pulled out her wand.

“ _Alohamora_ ,” she whispered, and the door clicked open. James looked at her questioningly.

“Do you want me to keep guard?” he said.

Siobhan shook her head. “Close and lock the door behind us. Hopefully no one will suspect anything.”

The room behind the shop was dark and musty. James took a candle out of his pocket and lit it, giving a small ray of light to the room. It looked nearly deserted, with barely any crates, boxes, plants, or any kind of supplies or ingredients in sight. Siobhan suddenly got a sneaking sense of dread.

“We need to get out of here,” she hissed, just a strange whisper sounded from the shadows.

“ _Finite Incantatem_ ”

Siobhan gasped, and quickly looked over at James, and cursed when her eyes met hazel ones. James’ own hazel eyes. And from the look of horror on James’ face, her disguise had worn off too. Before either of them could react, someone disarmed Siobhan and grabbed them by the arms.

Lights came from eight wands, suddenly illuminating the dingy storage room, revealing their captors. The sight of their leader sent a spike of icy fear throughout Siobhan’s core.

“Well, well, well, if it isn’t the famous Fire of the Sea,” the leader said, his dark green eyes on Siobhan. He hadn’t changed much in the last ten years since she’d seen him.

“Griffin,” Siobhan said, keeping her voice calm despite her fear. “Long time, no see.”

Griffin chuckled. “I don’t remember us being on first name terms, Siobhan,” he said, walking towards her. She hated how he made her feel; he was the only one who could affect her like this. Siobhan swallowed, and then fixed him with the dirtiest glare she could.

“And I don’t recall this apothecary shop being run by a disgusting old git, but here we are,” she snapped. It had been years since they last met, and Siobhan would not let herself be intimidated into submission. Not again.

Griffin didn’t seem intimidated by Siobhan’s sharp tongue. In fact, he only smirked and got closer to her.

“You’ve obviously been up to a lot since we’ve last met, Siobhan,” he said softly, relishing her name in his mouth. “And you’ve only grown more and more beautiful.”

Siobhan gulped. His face was too close, dangerously close…

“Don’t touch her!” James’ voice rang out, pulling Griffin away from Siobhan. She tried to catch James’ eye, tried to tell him to shut up, shut up, _shut up_ —

Griffin smirked, pulling away from Siobhan and slithering over to James. Siobhan could feel the anger, the hunger, and the child-like glee that radiated off of Griffin. She didn’t doubt that Griffin would torture and taunt James, just for being with her.

“Well, well, well!” Griffin remarked, deftly taking out his wand and sticking it in James’ cheek. “You’ve sunk to new lows, Siobhan. A muggle? Did he know of your secret, or will someone have to come along and obliviate him after you’re gone?”

Siobhan opened her mouth to retort, but James beat her to the punch.

“Me mam’s a proud member of the Black family tree, you wretched traitor!” he snarled, looking like he was about to bite Griffin’s wand in half. Siobhan couldn’t tell if she was amused, proud, or terrified. It was rare for James to bring up his past, but it was completely new for Siobhan to hear him talk about it with such… _pride_.

But Griffin didn’t seem to be unsettled by this revelation. “So you’re actually a bastard squib from a Black family runaway and a blood traitor? You must be so proud,” his voiced was laced with condescension. He began to press his wand into James’ cheek, so hard that James’ winced.

“Griffin, stop! Your quarrel is with me!” Siobhan shouted. She didn’t think that Griffin would actually kill anyone, but she knew James’ wouldn’t come out in one piece.

Griffin turned to look at her, but kept his wand pressed firmly into James. “Haven’t you heard the old saying, Siobhan? The enemy of my enemy is my friend? Well it goes two ways, my pet. The friend of my enemy is my enemy.”

“Honestly, mate, that was shit,” James said derisively. The next few moments seemed lightning fast. James broke free of his captors, sending them tumbling to the ground clutching their bleeding arms. James grabbed Griffin’s wand, hurled it across the room, and decked him square in the face before grabbing Siobhan and wrenching her from her captors’ grips.

“Where’s your wand?” he shouted at her. Siobhan was already ahead of him, turning to the pirate on her left and tearing her wand and his own out of his hands.

“James, go!” she yelled, pointing her wand at the locked door, bursting it open. She ran, using spells and magic where she saw fit, not caring who saw. Once or twice she looked back to see if James was behind her, but she didn’t stop until they had reached the main marketplace.

Siobhan and James slowed, but still kept walking until they got to the docks. They calmly got into their rowboat, and quickly made their way back to the Sun Warrior.

As soon as they got on board, Siobhan barked: “We’re casting off! Now! Get to it!”

The deck lurched underneath their feet as the ship moved into the open ocean. But Siobhan still couldn’t stop, rushing below deck to the captain’s quarters. She slammed the door shut behind her, breathing heavily, adrenaline still coursing through her veins. Griffin’s horrid green eyes were still swimming in her vision, no matter how hard she pressed her eyes shut. Repressed memories of her school life were surfacing, things she had tried desperately to forget.

Someone softly knocked on the door, causing Siobhan to jump. “Don’t come in,” she said forcefully, trying and failing to keep her voice steady.

“If you really wanted to keep people out, you’d lock the door,” James said as he came in. He was shocked to see Siobhan’s state; standing in the middle of the room, arms wrapped around herself, trembling, and tears streaming down her face.

Siobhan turned away from him, starting to walk to the cot in the corner of the room, but James caught her arm.

“Siobhan,” he said, genuine concern in his voice. “Who was that guy?”

He didn’t have to say anymore. Siobhan had acted so differently today than she normally did. Her tough yet calm personality had melted into a scared, screaming, and crying girl. And James knew her well enough to know that this was more than just a chance encounter.

Siobhan struggled to find what to say. Even though James was a close friend, almost a brother, she was hesitant to say what was really going on in her head. But he knew some of her past, so maybe just a short, yet descriptive sentence would suffice.

“He was from school,” Siobhan said curtly, still keeping her face turned away from him. She hoped that would work.

Whether or not that answered James’ question, it didn’t seem to matter. He sighed, and pulled Siobhan around to face him.

“C’mon, let’s go to the mess hall. You need a drink.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> These chapters are episodic, meaning that you don't have to read them in any particular order to get the full story, have fun!
> 
> Griffin will hopefully become something of a reoccurring villain. Let's see if that actually happens lol.
> 
> I didn't mean to make Siobhan a damsel in distress, more like I wanted James to be badass.
> 
> Also, I'm kinda shit at writing action scenes, so please give me some helpful critiques if you can! 
> 
> Also (also), this chapter's a little longer than the others, I just couldn't stop once I started!


End file.
